Combined earth digger and scraper.



No. 643,240. Patented Feb. ls, |900. B. F. sHuART.

COMBINED EARTH BIGGER AND SCRAPER.

e' Application lecl Nov. 2, 1898.\

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

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No. 643,240. Patented Feb. I3, |900. B. F. SHUART. COMBINED EARTH BIGGERAND SCRAPER.

Application filed Nov. 2, 1898.\

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fNo Model.)

Fries.

BENJAMIN n. snUART, on oBEnLiN, onto.

CQNlBINED EARTH DIGGER AND SCRAPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,240, datedrFebruary13, 1900.

Application filed November 2, 1898. Serial No. 695,311. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. SHUART, a citizen ofthe United States,residing at Oberlin, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Earth Diggerand Scraper; and I do declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a combined earth digger andscraper, and is animprovement more particularly on the invention set forth in myapplication forimprovementsin earth- Scrapers filed September 8, 1896,Serial No. 605,072, and is directly in the line of my patent issuedMay'22, 1894, No. 520,085.

In the use of Scrapers as manufactured by me it frequently becomesnecessary to employ the scraper on ground that really is unprepared toreceive it and whereon the scraper alone is insufficient to do therequired workas, for example, when the ground itself is of a nature toprevent the scraper from taking hold satisfactorily without previousloosening or where it has been packed and trodden down by travel. Sundrycauses may enter in to produce these conditions, and from whatever causeor whereverfound it is my experience that a scraper of this kind ispractically incomplete unless fitted up with means within itself to gohere or there and meet and overcome at least all ordinary and probabledifficulties in the character and conditions of the earth to be handled.To these ends I have equipped the scraper, as shown herein, with meansto prepare the earth for the scraper when such preparation is necessary,and in this instance the means consist of a series of digging-teetharranged at suitable intervals on a common support and adapted to run inadvance of the scraper and enter the earth at greater or less depth andunder more or less pressure, as circumstances may require.

ism is, however, designed to be so arranged .and connected up in themachine that it will be lowered to working position only when requiredand be ont of such position and out of the way when not in use. So,also, may the This digging or loosening mechan digger be used alone andthe scraper for the time be raised out of action-as, for example, whenit is desirable to dig up and loosen a section of ground before thescraper is put to work. Both of these leading and essential parts of theinvention may, therefore, be used independently of each other, but areintended" to be used conjointly and in copera'tion to produce a unitaryresult.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspectiveelevation of my new andimproved combined. machine, and Fig. 2

iis a plan View thereof with the lifting mechanism removed, ashereinafter fully described. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectionalelevation of the machine, substantially on line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig 4. is aperspective view of a detail of the digger, showing one end enlarged andespecially the preferred way of securing the diggerteeth as well as themeans for suspending and connecting up the digger-bar. Fig. 5 is aperspective detail of the scraper and rack-bar connection.

A represents the main frame of the machine, andvB the tongue or pole. Care the rear wheels, and D the front wheel, as usual, and with the usualor any sufficient means to adjust the elevation of the wheels C or, moreaccurately speaking, the elevation of frame A in respect to the earth.

E is the scraper or scraper-blade, andF are the rack-bars or toothedstandards, through which said blade is raised and lowered with respectto frame A and its work, likewise as is now old and well known in thesemachines.

The scraper E extends transversely of the machine from side to sidewithin frame A and is designed to have adaptability to working depthfrom end to end or at each end, according as greater or less depth ofoperation is required at one end or the other, or at both, and the saidblade is so connected up through its standards F that not onlypractically all the weight of the machine itself can be thrown thereon,but,.when required, a quantity of weight may be added to the machine,according to the nature of the work to be done and the conditionsencountered. The scraper is hung from the front of the machineoudrawrods 2, engaging the scraper at different elevations and .pivotedon the main frame at IOO their front, and the standards F are pivotallyaffixed to the rear of the scraper with connections constructed ashereinafter described.

G is the digger-bar, carrying a series of teeth 3, and itself iscarried, when in working position, by the split or bifurcated standardsH, pivotally engaged at its ends in the straps 4 on said bar and havingits pivot therein above the bar, so as to enable the standard to be laiddown upon the bar when it is not in use. Draft-chains-K connect said barG with the front of frame A, and said chains may be taken up more orless according as it may be desired to place the digger nearer to orfarther from the scraper-blade, as hereinafter described. Obviouslysuitable rod connections in lieu of chains K may be used, and so alsomay any suitable standards in lieu of those shown.

The standards Il have transverse perforations or holes through which Iinsert bolts or pins 5, which connect the tooth-bar adjustably andpivotally with the controlling-levers L. These levers carry thetooth-digger bar G through the standards II and are perforated atintervals in their length to move said bar forward, as may be desired,to make room for the earth in front of blade E. The digger-bar can alsobe raised and loweredpon said levers and held entirely out of work-sayas seen in dotted lines, Fig. 3-or be forced down deep into the workthrough them. To these ends the said levers L are directly or indirectlypivoted on the main frame at their front and connected with thescraper-blade at their rear through the ears 6 and bolts therein bearingon said levers or in any other sufficient way, the form of connectionnot being material except that it should not be rigid.

To engage the digger-bar in any position in advance of what it is shownto occupy, the chains K can be shortened, or any available way ofshortening the draft connection may be adopted, as chains or otherconnections are used. In raising the digger out of use the levers L arehooked up on chains 7, and then the parts H may also be raised to liftthe drag-bar to its highest position and pins 5 placed above lever L,thus allowing it to slide to the front of the machine and be wholly outof the way.

i/Vith the foregoing construction and connections of the digger I canalso swing the teeth thereof into different positions in respect to avertical plane and incline them forward or rearward from the point,'asmay be desired, and the pivot connections with standards II and thedraft attachments K should accommodate all these changes in position.When inclined rearward, the digger can be utilized as a clod-crusher orharrow. In making these adjustments the pins 5 can be set forward orrearward in levers L or the chains K lengthened or shortened.

The digger-teeth 3 are fastened by clamps 8, bolted onto the bar G attheir ends, and the said clamps have lugs or spurs 9 on their inside,adapted to engage in cavities 10 in the teeth, so as to preventlongitudinal movement of the teeth in their clamps. With thisconstruction the teeth can get loose and yet not drop out nor work up.The lugs and cavities could be interchanged without changing theinvention.

Another point of novelty is in the fenders M. In my patent abovereferred to I show fenders pivoted directly at their front and top; butin order that these fenders may ride or travel forward freely I havefound it necessary to round their front edges somewhat sled-runnerfashion. This, however, has the objection of reducing materially theirconfining capacity as well as being objectionable in other ways and forother reasons. Hence to avoid such objections, and especially to securegreater clearance at the front engaging point of the fender when therear is raised, I have constructed the fender with an arm m, whichprojects from its top and f-ront a snfcient distance to bring the pivotof the arm so far from the fender that when the rear of the fender risesthe front will also rise and afford clearance atthe point,as abovedescribed.

The digger shown and described is essentially what its name implie sandis designed to do the same work. practically as men would do withhand-picks if they had the same work to perform. The teeth 3 aretherefore purposely constructed with sharp forwardlyturned points, so asto most easily penetrate the earth and tear it up, and this the diggerdoes in a manner with eminent satisfaction, even in earth which wouldseem to be hardened beyond the reach of such instrumentalities.

It will be understood also from the foregoing'description that when thescraper is raised out of action and the digger is in action the weightof the machine may be thrown wholly onto the digger through its leverconnection with the scraper.

Finally, the scraper can be advantageously used for street-cleaningpurposes; but to do this it is desirable that it have a cushionedconnection with the rack-bars F, through which it always is depressedand kept down to work. This enables the scraper-blade to ride overinequalities in the pavement and to adapt itself to the work withoutfurther attention after it has been set in the right position. To theseends the rack-bar F is socketed in IOO IIO

a close-fitting sleeve or tube P, which itself is pivotally connectedwith the scraper-blade by means of a yoke R or equivalent means, and inthe bottom of which sleeve is a spiral spring 12. The rack-bar has areduced eX- tremity 13, cent-ered in the spring 12, and a pin or bolt 14is engaged through the said sleeve and rack-bar to hold them inoperative relation. An oblong4 slot in the sleeve P, through which pin14 projects at both ends when the spring is used, affords a limitedsliding relation and all the room to rise that the scraper may requirein streetwork, and when a rigid connection is desired for ordinary Workpin 14 is inserted through the hole 15 above. Of course the essentialpoint in this described construction is the yielding spring-pressedconnection of the rack-bars with the scraperblade, an unyielding thoughpivoted connection being present iu my old machine, and the main objectis to fit the machine for streetcleaning, as already described.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The main frame and the digger therein, pivotally-connected standardsat the ends of the digger, levers on which the standards are adjustable,and draft-chains connecting the ends of the digger with the main frame,substantially as described.

2. Themachinehavingatransversescraper and fenders atthe front and endsofthe scraper having forwardlyextending 'arms on their front and toppivoted at` their extremity on the frame of the machine and supportingthe fenders, substantially as described.

3. The scraper and the vertically-adj ustable supporting-bars pivotedthereto,and aspringpressed connection between said bars and scraper,substantially as described.

4. The scraper and the supporting-bars at its ends, and a sliding jointbetween said parts and a spring in said joint to bear upon and de- 3opress the scraper, substantially as described.

5. The machine having a scraper, the rackbars to support the scraper, aconnecting member between scraper and bars having a sleeved engagementwith the rack-bar and pivotally 3 5 connected with the scraper, and aspring between the rack-bar and the said connecting member to cushionthe scraper, substantially as described. 6. The digger-bar having aseries of teeth 4o and the supports for the digger-bar constructed andarranged to tilt the bar and incline the teeth, said supports comprisinga standard pivoted at each end on the digger and levers on which thestandards are adjustable in two 45 directions, substantially asdescribed.

7. The machine having a scraper-blade and a digger in front thereof,levers on which the digger is vertically adjustable and links connecting the scraper with said levers, substan- 5o tially as described.

fitness my hand to the foregoing specification this 13th day of October,1898.

BENJAMIN F. SI-IUART.

Witnesses:

H. T. FISHER, H. E. MUDRA.

